பதனண கழககணகக நலகளல பணபடட வழமயஙகள / Cultural Values in Pathinenkeelkanakku Books

It is not an exaggeration to state that Tamil heritage has enriched the learned world with its cultural contributions. Tamil flourished through the documentation of the artistic and cultural practices of the Sangam people through its literature. Tamil language empowered the men of those days to face various challenges, emphasized ethical principles and enriched life. Despite time, Tamil heritage continues to manoeuvre on the ancient foundational roots established long ago. Tamil literature has astonished the world with its profound depth of meaning and ideas. Grammar texts, literary works, and evolving discourses derived from Tamil literary tradition continue to flourish and benefit contemporary society. During the Sangam era and its subsequent periods, eminent Tamil poets celebrated and extolled the virtuous traits of humankind. “Pathinenkeelkanakku”, known as the Eighteen Lesser Texts in English are Tirukkural, Naladiyar, Pazhamozhi Naanooru, Tirikadugam, and Sirupanchamoolam. They highlighted ethical values like justice, integrity, friendship, civility, strength, and truthfulness and stressed them as the foundation for moral quality. This research focuses on a few select texts from the select works to explore Tamil culture's emphasis on family life (Illaram), hospitality (Virundhombal), charity (Eegai), public welfare (Podhunalam) and patience (Porumai). By analyzing a few verses as examples, this study seeks to illustrate the cultural excellence of the Tamil people and highlight the philosophical deepness of true wisdom. Hence, the primary objective of this research is to elucidate the cultural and ethical values encapsulated within Tamil culture and heritage.